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Bulgarian pirates crack the uncrackable

Eminem CDs on sale for £3

A month after rap artist Eminem released his latest album with 'uncrackable' copyright protection technology, pirated copies are on sale across eastern Europe.

The Universal label, to which Eminem is signed, released The Eminem Show with technology designed to prevent widespread copying.

He follows Celine Dion, *N Sync and Natalie Imbruglia, all of whom have used the technology to prevent their albums being copied and distributed on the internet.

But in Bulgaria, where pirating is booming, copies of The Eminem Show are changing hands on market stalls in Sofia for just £3.

The copies seem to have come from two or three sources who managed to crack the copy-proof system. At least one CD seen by vnunet.com was 'assembled' from music files that were transferred across the internet to a CD burning factory.

But most seem to be straight copies that have bypassed any copy protection. One market trader told vnunet.com: "I hope [the record company] did not spend too much on this. In Bulgaria there is nothing that can't be cracked."

The piracy culture in Bulgaria is supported by a low-paid, technologically literate youth culture with access to technology.